Month: January 2017

When I was fifteen I broke my ankle attempting to surf a cardboard box down the stairs. Some things you look back on and, in hindsight, realize you never should have had to learn the hard way. Remembering the lapses in judgement of our former selves can leave us in a state of genuine shock …

I think we can all agree the most miraculous usable feature of our smartphones is the built-in argument settler. I mean, can you imagine a world in which you can’t immediately prove to your buddy how stupid he is for thinking Miami is the capital of Florida, or that Michael Jordan is the NBA’s all-time …

I remember when I was diagnosed with Ebola. It was a warm September morning…well, they were all warm during that stretch. The air outside clung tightly still to the moisture of the humid summer, not yet ready to give way to autumn’s crisp vacancy. I remember the room turning as the doctor affirmed the suspicions …

There’s an old financial adage that lays out the groundwork for long-term prosperity by asking the subject to take every dollar he spends eating out and, instead, invest it. (If you skipped your morning Starbucks and put that money into a total market index fund, in thirty years you would have fifty-bajillion dollars!) It’s …

Psychologist Edward Deci, among several others in the field, has conducted numerous studies that attempt to pinpoint the genesis of human motivation in a variety of contexts. Most notably, he chronicled the changes in interest and motivation among a group of students whom were paid to complete a series of puzzles and contrasted them …

If you’re anything like me, the prospect of a new year fills your mind and soul alike with the promise of opportunity. A new chapter in the endless pursuit of growth and fulfillment presents itself, revitalizing the spirit and refueling the proverbial tanks. So what to do with all this unfettered optimism? Where do we …